Chris Sheppard

A Construct-Related Validity Study on a Korean Version of the Perceptual Learning Styles Preference Questionnaire

This study examined the factor structure of a Korean version of the Perceptual Learning Styles Preference Questionnaire. The instrument was developed to measure the learning-style preferences of students of English as a second language and English as a foreign language and has gained wide currency as a classroom diagnostic tool and survey instrument for research on second-language acquisition. Reliability estimates (Cronbachs α) for scores on the six scales hypothesized by Reid were generally not good and corroborated results in the limited number of previous studies. A confirmatory factor analysis led to the rejection of the hypothesized model, and an exploratory factor analysis suggested a three-factor model as more appropriate. It is argued that the results of this study indicate that the instrument is flawed and that the results of previous research based on it are questionable. It is also argued that the continued use of the instrument within the research trajectory of second-language acquisition be suspended until the instrument has been revised.